Mouthpiece for underwater breathing pipes

ABSTRACT

A mouthpiece for underwater breathing pipes, including on its upper part a mouth element and on its lower part at least one water draining valve with a certain downward slope as to a lying plane including the mouth element. Said mouthpiece includes at least two opposite side parts, hollow and provided with the means allowing to connect, removably and watertight, to a side part a breathing pipe, and to the opposite side part a closing plug; said means allow a total interchangeability of the positioning of the breathing pipe and the closing plug to the right and/or to the left as to the mouthpiece mouth element and water draining valve.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention refers to a mouthpiece for underwaterbreathing pipes.

[0002] As it is known there are different types of mouthpieces forbreathing pipes: normally they include a stiff or semi-stiff bodyprovided on their upper part of a mouth element of soft material andconnected, on a side part as said mouth element, to a breathing pipe,normally bent. Moreover there are mouthpieces where, on the sideopposite to the one of the mouth element, a water draining valve isprovided, which can be obtained on the same lying plane of the mouthelement or sloped downward as to that.

[0003] In the mouthpieces without draining valve or with the drainingvalve obtained on the same lying plane of the mouthpiece, the diver canposition the breathing pipe indifferently on the right or on the left asto the head and then the mouth element. In the mouthpieces with valvesloped as to the mouth element plane, on the contrary, this is notpossible, since said water draining valve has to be always turneddownward and the breathing pipe is firmly connected to the mouthpiece,in a not removable way. The impossibility for the diver to position byhis choice the breathing pipe on the right or on the left of the head,is a remarkable limitation, which often makes little practical the useof said mouthpieces.

[0004] The aim of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantagesand limitations of the mouthpieces for the known breathing pipes and toembody a mouthpiece to which a breathing pipe can be connectedindifferently on the right or on the left of the mouth element with nodistinction.

[0005] Said aim is reached by the present invention through a mouthpiecefor underwater breathing pipes including on its upper part a mouthelement and on its lower part at least one water draining valve with acertain downward slope as to a lying plane including the mouth element;said mouthpiece moreover includes at least two opposite side parts,hollow and provided with means allowing to connect, removably andwatertight, to one of said side parts, a breathing pipe, and to theopposite side part a closing plug. Said means allow a totalinterchangeability of the positioning of the breathing pipe and theclosing plug to the right and/or to the left as to the mouth element andthe water draining valve of the mouthpiece.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Further aims and advantages of the present invention will bebetter understood in the following description to be considered as a notlimitative description and referred to the enclosed drawings, where:

[0007]FIG. 1 shows in perspective a view of a mouthpiece according tothe present invention with a breathing pipe positioned on the left;

[0008]FIG. 2 shows in perspective a view of a mouthpiece of FIG. 1 witha breathing pipe positioned on the right;

[0009]FIG. 3 shows in perspective an exploded view of the connectingmeans of the present mouthpiece to the breathing pipe.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0010] With reference to FIG. 1, with 1 is shown a mouthpiece accordingto the present invention comprising a body of stiff or semi-stiffmaterial and including on the upper part a mouth element 2 suitablyshaped and made of soft material. On the mouthpiece 1 lower part whichis opposite as to the one of the mouth element 2 a water draining valve3 is provided, which, as it can be noticed, is not obtained on the samelying plane of said mouth element 2, but has a certain slope downward asto that. Said mouthpiece has moreover two side parts 4 and 5 hollow andprojecting respectively to the left and the right (as to the mouthelement 2). The hollow left side part 4 is connected to a breathing pipe6 through a tubular connecting piece 7 which allows, as it will be laterdescribed, to connect and disconnect as one likes said pipe 6 from saidside part 4. On the hollow right side part 5 is instead provided theinsertion of a closing plug 8, which is as well removable from said sidepart 5.

[0011] As mentioned above, through the present mouthpiece 1, thebreathing pipe 6 can be assembled indifferently to the right or the leftas to the mouth element 2. To this regard in FIG. 2 is shown thesituation where the breathing pipe 6 is connected to the right side part5 of the mouthpiece 1 and the plug 8 is inserted into the left side part4, reversing the positioning of FIG. 1.

[0012] In FIG. 3 are shown in exploded view the connection meansallowing to make indifferently the positioning of the breathing pipe 6to the right or the left of the mouthpiece 1. The mouthpiece hollowright 5 and left 4 side parts include two cylindrical portions 41 and 51which are hollow too: said portions 41 and 51 have reduced section andwithin each one are obtained two annular carvings 410 and 510. The leftcylindrical portion 41, in the example in figure, is suitable forfitting in with the cylindrical plug 8, which has on the inner surfacetwo annular projections 81 which become engaged by fitting in into thetwo carvings 410. Two sealing rings 10 are provided to complete thecoupling of the plug 8 with the cylindrical portion 4. Said coupling isdone by fitting in, setting first the sealing rings 10 into the carvings410 and then pressing the plug 8 against the portion 41 until theannular projections 81 get completely into their carvings 410.

[0013] The cylindrical portion 51, in the example in figure, is insteadconnected to the connecting piece 7, which has in its inside part fourannular projections 71 (of which in the figure is shown only the oneobtained on the right end of the connecting piece 7). Said connectingpiece 7 is then fitted in from one side onto the cylindrical portion 51and from the other side onto a cylindrical end portion 61 of thebreathing pipe 6: said portion 61 has a reduced section and on it areobtained two annular carvings 610. The assembly of the connecting piece7 to the portion 51 of the mouthpiece 1 side part 5 and to the endportion 61 of the breathing pipe 6 is quite the same of the onedescribed for the plug 8, and for it four more sealing rings 10 areprovided. To fit in, then, the connecting piece 7 onto the portion 51 issufficient to set two sealing rings 10 into the carvings 510 andpressing said connecting piece 7 until two of the four annularprojections 71 are completely inserted into said annular carvings 510,while, to fit in the end portion 61 of the pipe 6 into the connectingpiece 7 so connected to the portion 51, is sufficient to set the othertwo sealing rings 10 into the carvings 610 and press the pipe 6 untilthe other two annular projections 71 of the connecting piece 7 arecompletely fitted into said annular carvings 610.

[0014] When, through the connecting piece 7, the plug 8 and the pipe 6are fitted in respectively on the side parts 4 and 5, then themouthpiece 1 and the breathing pipe 6 are assembled according to thesetting of FIG. 2. According to what fully described, it will becomeclear how it is possible to easily change the assembly shown in FIG. 3,it is to say with the plug 8 fitted in on the right side part and thepipe 6 fitted in, through the connecting piece 7, on the left side part4, so obtaining the setting of the mouthpiece 1 and the breathing pipe 6shown in FIG. 1.

[0015] Although in the preceding description and in the drawings it isdescribed and shown the connection between the breathing pipe 6 and theside part respectively 4 and 5 of the mouthpiece 1 with theinterposition of the connection element 7, it is obvious that saidconnecting piece 7 can be avoided, and the breathing pipe can be made soto be fitted in directly on the elements 41 and respectively 51 of themouthpiece 1 side parts 4 and 5.

I claim:
 1. A mouthpiece for underwater breathing pipes, including onits upper part a mouth element and on its lower part at least one waterdraining valve with a certain downward slope as to a lying planeincluding the mouth element, further including at least two side partsopposite, hollow and provided with means allowing to connect, removablyand watertight, to a side part a breathing pipe and to the opposite sidepart closing elements; said means allowing a total interchangeability ofthe positioning of the breathing pipe and the closing elements to theright and/or to the left as to the mouth element and the mouthpiecewater draining valve.
 2. A mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein saidbreathing pipe is provided at the end of an insertion elementcomplementary to the insertion element of said means so to allow thedirect coupling male and female of said end of the breathing pipe withsaid means of said mouthpiece, being said closing elements a plugwatertight insertable onto said means.
 3. A mouthpiece according toclaim 1, wherein the coupling between the breathing pipe and the saidmeans of the said mouthpiece is made through the interposition of asubstantially cylindrical connecting piece.
 4. A mouthpiece according toclaim 3, wherein each one of the side parts include a substantiallycylindrical portio provided with elements connectable by fitting in,from the side of the breathing pipe, into corresponding elementsobtained in connection with one end of said connecting piece and, fromthe side of the closing plug, into corresponding elements obtained insaid closing plug, being the other end of said connecting piece providedwith additional elements connectable by fitting in into correspondingelements obtained on a substantially cylindrical end portion of thebreathing pipe.
 5. A mouthpiece according to claim 4, in which the saidconnecting piece is hollow inside and in connection with its endsincludes annular projections obtained on its inner surface andconnectable by fitting in, from one side, into annular carvings obtainedon the outer surface of the end portion of the breathing pipe and, fromthe other side, into annular carvings obtained on the outer surface ofthe substantially cylindrical portion of the side part corresponding tothe mouthpiece.
 6. A mouthpiece according to claim 1, in whcih the saidplug is hollow inside and on its inner surface are obtained annularprojections connectable by fitting in into annular carvings obtained onthe outer surface of the substantially cylindrical portion of the sidepart corresponding to the mouthpiece.
 7. A mouthpiece according to claim6, in which said substantially cylindrical portions of the mouthpieceside parts have a reduced section.
 8. A mouthpiece according to claim 7,in which said substantially cylindrical end portion of the breathingpipe has a reduced section.
 9. A mouthpiece according to claim 8,further including sealing rings inserted between the fitting inconnection element of the breathing pipe with the mouthpiece portions orwith the connecting piece and/or of the connection of said connectingpiece and of the closing plug with their substantially cylindricallengths.